Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha with her dogs. — Photo tienphong.vn

Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, 48, from Long Tan Commune in Dau Tieng District, has been looking after her furry friends for nearly 15 years.

On a 100 square metre plot in the middle of a rubber plantation, Ha has built a house to care for the dogs like they were own children.

“I was extracting rubber latex on the farm about 15 years ago when I saw a dog crawling towards me. He was disabled and looked so pitiful. I decided to bring him home and give him love and food, and he became part of my family," Ha told Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

“To me he’s like a son. Since that day I've been adopting abandoned and disabled dogs and caring for them.”

Each of her dogs is named after the location of the area they were rescued.

“I truly believe that animals have feelings and emotions. I'm really happy they recognise their names every time I call them,” Ha said.

And surprisingly, they don't bite each other even though they live in the same house, she added.

The house is divided into three areas; one for disabled dogs, one for dogs in treatment and another for healthy dogs.

All of the dogs have been sterilised because as Ha said, she does not have the money to look after puppies.

Ha said she had to work hard to raise the money to treat them when they got sick.

“Vet's bills are not cheap. Sometimes it costs more than VND10 million. All my money is spent on the dogs,” she said.

“I can skip meals but I can’t see them go hungry. It can be hard some days but it’s so rewarding to see the changes in the dogs.”

Talking about herself, Ha said she had no interest in getting married, and was willing to devote all her time to her pets.

Some people tell her that she is crazy. It’s a mad life looking after over 100 dogs.

"But I just love them all,” said Ha.

It takes a lot of time for a dog to trust you, often take six to 12 months. Obviously by that point there is no way they are going anywhere," she said.

Ha's neighbour Tran Thi Lan said: "Every day, I see Ha’s passion for animals. She loves her dogs so much. We often joke with each other that she is unmarried but has more than a hundred children."

"I remember when one of her dogs died. She cried for a few days like she had just lost her baby. She has made me love animals more and encouraged other people to spread compassion and help her rescue as many different dogs as she can.”

Ha wants to earn money to rescue stray dogs and others that could end up being served in a restaurant.

Her dream is to establish a shelter where the dogs can be cared for.

"If you don't have time to take care of them, don't abandon or sell them. Let me love them," she said.  VNS

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